CARLOS BICA’S 11:11 ft. JOSÉ SOARES

what started with an invitation for a one-time duo concert, turned out to be an instant hit. meanwhile pianist ramón valle and brass player maite hontelé have toured europe and even recorded an album in havana, cuba. with the cuban musical language in their minds and bodies, they continue to challenge each other. together they experience total freedom on stage. their shared love for melody is a common thread in their collaboration. ramón valle has earned praise all over the world for his overwhelming, expressive piano playing, in which he incorporates his cuban roots as well as his classical education. dutch musician  maite hontelé has lived in colombia for many years and has released five albums, two of which were nominated for a latin grammy. with her salsa band she gave concerts all over the world. both maite and ramón always aim for the notes that reach the soul directly. that’s why each concert is a new adventure for them.

early next year will see the release of the album the guesthouse, a new chapter in shai maestro’s creative journey. in the past years, the pianist developed his solo work, becoming a worthy successor to his great examples keith jarrett and chick corea, with a rich sound and open-ended improvisations. now he will focus on short compositions with clear, song-like forms. the album toom shape in his home studio in spain and was influenced by different artists ranging from rosalía to paul simon and john coltrane. shai maestro began playing classical piano at the age of five and after listening to oscar peterson at the age of eight he became enamoured with jazz. he turned down offers from prestigious american music schools to join the trio of famous double bassist avishai cohen at age nineteen. for five years he celebrated success with cohen and drummer mark guiliana. in his current band, shai maestro seeks interaction with gadi lehavi on rhodes and synthesizers, known from the ravi coltrane quartet. ‘maestro certainly lives up to his name. he is a joy to watch live’ (jazzwise).